Impartir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of impartir — “to give, to teach” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for impartir with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Impartir means to give or to teach, and it is the formal verb for giving classes, courses and justice: impartir una clase, impartir justicia. It is a regular -ir verb, common in education and law. To see it in a real sentence: Imparto una clase de historia. — “I teach a history class.”
Present tense conjugation table: impartir
Every person of impartir in the present tense. The gerund is impartiendo and the past participle is impartido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | imparto |
| tú | impartes |
| él/ella/Ud. | imparte |
| nosotros/as | impartimos |
| vosotros/as | impartís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | imparten |
The gerund is impartiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy impartiendo” means the action of impartir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is impartido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he impartido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how impartir is used.
How the present of impartir is formed
The present of impartir is built from the stem impart plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | imparto |
| tú | -es | impartes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | imparte |
| nosotros/as | -imos | impartimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | impartís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | imparten |
impartir is a regular -ir verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is impart and the endings are the normal -ir endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of impartir is impartiendo and the past participle is impartido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of impartir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use impartir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of impartir is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and impartir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Imparto una clase de historia.” — I teach a history class.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what impartir means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Imparte un curso de español.” — He/she teaches a Spanish course.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Imparto justicia en el tribunal.” — I teach justice in court.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and impartir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros impartimos una lección a los alumnos.” — Tomorrow, we teach a lesson to the students.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Impartes un curso de español?” — Do you teach a Spanish course?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Imparto una clase de historia.” — I teach a history class.
Preterite: “Impartí una clase de historia.” — I taught a history class.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Imparte un curso de español.” — He/she teaches a Spanish course.
Preterite: “Impartió un curso de español.” — He/she taught a Spanish course.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Impartimos justicia en el tribunal.” — We teach justice in court.
Preterite: “Impartimos justicia en el tribunal.” — We taught justice in court.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: impartir in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Imparto una clase de historia.” — I teach a history class.
“Impartes un curso de español.” — You teach a Spanish course.
“Imparte justicia en el tribunal.” — He/she teaches justice in court.
“Impartimos una lección a los alumnos.” — We teach a lesson to the students.
“Impartís una clase de historia.” — You teach a history class.
“Imparten un curso de español.” — They teach a Spanish course.
“Imparto justicia en el tribunal.” — I teach justice in court.
“Imparte una lección a los alumnos.” — He/she teaches a lesson to the students.
Common mistakes with impartir in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo imparte una clase de historia.” Right: “Yo imparto una clase de historia.” Why: Yo needs the yo form imparto. The form imparte belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo impartir un curso de español.” Right: “Yo imparto un curso de español.” Why: The infinitive impartir cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving imparto.
Wrong: “Ayer yo imparto un curso de español.” Right: “Ayer yo impartí un curso de español.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to impartí.
Wrong: “Ellos imparte un curso de español.” Right: “Ellos imparten un curso de español.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form imparten. The singular imparte belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: impartir in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ una clase de historia.”
- (a) imparto
- (b) impartes
- (c) imparte
Answer: imparto — The yo form of impartir in the present is imparto.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ un curso de español.”
- (a) imparto
- (b) imparte
- (c) impartes
Answer: impartes — The tú form of impartir in the present is impartes.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ justicia en el tribunal.”
- (a) impartes
- (b) imparte
- (c) imparto
Answer: imparte — The él/ella form of impartir in the present is imparte.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ una lección a los alumnos.”
- (a) impartimos
- (b) imparto
- (c) impartes
Answer: impartimos — The nosotros/as form of impartir in the present is impartimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ una clase de historia.”
- (a) imparto
- (b) impartes
- (c) impartís
Answer: impartís — The vosotros/as form of impartir in the present is impartís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ un curso de español.”
- (a) impartes
- (b) imparten
- (c) imparto
Answer: imparten — The ellos/ellas form of impartir in the present is imparten.
7. What does impartir mean in English?
- (a) to give, to teach
- (b) to teach
- (c) to be about
Answer: to give, to teach — Impartir means to give, to teach.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Impartí una clase de historia.
- (b) Impartiré una clase de historia.
- (c) Imparto una clase de historia.
Answer: Imparto una clase de historia. — “Imparto una clase de historia.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is impartir regular in the present?
Yes. Impartir is regular in the present: imparto, impartes, imparte, impartimos, impartís and imparten. Watch the accents on the forms that carry them, and remember that the nosotros form is the one that keeps the stem unchanged.
What is the gerund and the past participle of impartir?
The gerund is impartiendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy impartiendo. The past participle is impartido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he impartido.
What should I watch out for with impartir?
Impartir is regular: impartí, impartía, impartiré. Impartir clase is the formal way to say to teach. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is imparto, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise impartir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the impartir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of impartir — every tense of impartir in one place.
- Impartir examples and quiz — more sentences with impartir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on impartir and other verbs.